The Community Hiking Club will be traversing the Walker Ranch and Bear Divide Trails on Saturday, July 31, 2010. Hikers interested should plan on meeting at the Walker Ranch Trail head on Placerita Canyon Road at 7:00 AM for a 7:15 departure to the trail head, leaving some of the vehicles at Walker Ranch. The other cars will drive to the base of Bear Divide trail. You’ll hike 2 miles up the Bear Divide Trail, cross through the wild land fire fighter’s camp, go down 3N17 to Wilson Saddle, then back up the road to Los Pinetos which we will take down to Walker Ranch. Total mileage will be close to 10 with 800 ft gain. Bring water, lunch or snacks and your camera…there are spectacular views! For more information contact Dianne at Zuliebear@aol.com. Hike subject to cancelation depending on local fires!

(From Science Daily) Monarch butterflies — renowned for their lengthy annual migration to and from Mexico — complete an even more spectacular journey home than previously thought. New research from the University of Guelph reveals that some North American monarchs born in the Midwest and Great Lakes fly directly east over the Appalachians and settle along the eastern seaboard. Previously, scientists believed that the majority of monarchs migrated north directly from the Gulf coast. (more…)

The Community Hiking Club will be traversing a moderate 10 miles of the Santa Paula Creek which runs year-round and is best known for its intrinsic beauty, and natural deep  pools, waterfalls, and steep cliffs. The trail takes you through picturesque St. Thomas Aquinas College, then along the wooded banks of Santa Paula creek with plentiful swimming holes, capped by a spectacular 25 foot waterfall. There are a few short sections where climbing over big rocks or scrambling up loose dirt is required. (more…)

(From Science Daily) A tiny, little-understood plant pore has enormous implications for weather forecasting, climate change, agriculture, hydrology, and more. A study by scientists at the Carnegie Institution’s Department of Global Ecology, with colleagues from the Research Center Jülich in Germany, has now overturned the conventional belief about how these important structures called stomata regulate water vapor loss from the leaf-a process called transpiration. They found that radiation is the driving force of physical processes deep within the leaf. (more…)

The Community Hiking Club will be traversing Elsmere Canyon on Saturday, July 3, 201. This is a short and easy 5 Mile loop with about a 500 ft gain. You will still have plenty of energy for your evening parties after this one! Those interested should plan on meeting at the MRCA green gate at the end of the Park and Ride located at Newhall Avenue and Hwy 14 at 7:00 AM for a 7:15 departure. Bring lots of water and a snack. The hike is planned to be done before lunch. If you want to increase your mileage, you can opt to do the Whitney Canyon Trail that is close by. For more information contact Dianne at Zuliebear@aol.com

(From the AP) Federal wildlife officials are warning swimmers to enter the water at their own risk after great white sharks were spotted feasting on sea lions around the Channel Islands. The National Park Service says there have been three attacks on California sea lions in the past few months near Santa Barbara Island. There have been no attacks on humans but because of the potential risk a warning was instituted Wednesday and will remain in effect until further notice. Officials say great white sightings in Southern California are rare. Migrating sharks usually pass through without stopping for meals.

“….the ants going marching one by one, the little one stops to suck his thumb, and they all, go, march-ing, down, to the earth, to get out, of the rain, boom, boom, boom …” – the children’s song equivalent to “99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall”

I never think much about it, but ants are my closest neighbors. It’s funny, but I have a penchant for living in rural areas and the last two places called Scared o’ Bears Ranch had a combined age of more than 200 years. I’m currently hiding out in a place homesteaded at the turn of the 20th century and the little rascals surround me. They march in orderly trails down the eucalyptus trees that shade my sanctuary. They climb up the sides of the house, along the porch and live inside the walls. (more…)

The Community Hiking Club will be hiking in the Cold Creek Preserve this Saturday, June 26, 2010. The Cold Creek Preserve protects the headwaters of Cold Creek, one of the few year-round streams in the Santa Monica Mountains. In 1984 The Nature Conservancy transfered 540 acres to Mountains Restoration Trust (MRT) to establish the Cold Creek Canyon Preserve and the MRT continues to expand this pristine open space. (more…)

(From Science Daily) Consumers shouldn’t assume that, because a product is organic, it’s also environmentally friendly. A new University of Guelph study reveals some organic pesticides can have a higher environmental impact than conventional pesticides because the organic product may require larger doses. (more…)

(From the AP) Authorities are awaiting an autopsy report to determine if a spider bite contributed to the death of a 13-year-old Pomona boy. Pomona police say paramedics were called to the boy’s home Sunday afternoon for a possible knee injury. (more…)

The Community Hiking Club will be doing a Father’s Day hike to the “Bridge to Nowhere” on Sunday, June 20, 2010. Bring dad and the whole family. This hike is 10 miles roundtrip with numerous deep river crossings, and boulder scrambling. It is moderate to difficult depending on the number of crossings and the depth and swiftness of the water. Bring water shoes. Meet at Towsley outside of the gate at 7:00 or meet at the trailhead sometime around 8:00. HOW TO GET TO THE TRAILHEAD: Take the 210 to Azusa. Exit San Gabriel Canyon Road. Drive up the canyon (north) for 10 miles, then turn east on the East Fork Road, and continue 8 more miles to the East Fork Ranger Station; park just below the station. Walk north along the river of 0.5 miles before dropping to the canyon floor. Keep your eyes open for patches of road (trail) on the cliff on the right side. Using these patches will speed up your travel. Staying in the river bed will make the hike more challenging, and you will be hiking longer. Use this trail from November-June. Avoid it in high water times, such as after a rain, as you will be doing many river crossings. Remember to display your adventure pass. For more information contact Dianne at Zuliebear@aol.com

(From the latimes.com) A 55-year-old man died Wednesday after suffering hundreds of bee stings while working outdoors in the northern San Diego County city of Encinitas, the Sheriff’s Department said. The man, described as a landscaper, was operating a backhoe in a brushy area near the San Elijo Lagoon when the equipment apparently disturbed a colony of bees. (more…)

(From the AP) Botany fans are about to make another pilgrimage to the Huntington Library in San Marino to see an Indonesian flower famous for its foul odor. The Huntington says the so-called corpse flower could unfurl its putrid blossom this weekend, only the fourth time it has flowered since 1999. (more…)

The Community Hiking Club will be traversing East Canyon on Saturday, June 5, 2010. Nick Staves will lead hikers on this great hike from O’Melveny Park to East Canyon and back! Those interested should meet Nick at East Canyon at 8:00 AM to carpool to O’Melveny Park. Bring water, lunch. If you can do the hike there will also be a Condor Presentation by Dianne for PNCA beginning at 10:00 AM at Eaton Canyon. For more information on the hike and the presentation contact Dianne at Zuliebear@aol.com

(From the wsj.com) When Peggy Bowditch drives to her summer home in Maine each May, she ships her clothes by UPS so she can load the back of her station wagon with seedlings, including three trays of Himalayan blue poppies. ”It is the most heavenly blue flower,” says Ms. Bowditch, an avid flower-show competitor who once taught horticulture classes at Temple University and lives most of the year in Philadelphia. “And the fact that it’s hard to grow in most places makes it even more desirable.” The notoriously finicky flower needs cool summers like those in its native mountains of South Asia—and definitely unlike those in Philadelphia. In coastal Maine, the poppies are right at home. (more…)

The Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County concludes its 2010 Sustainable Sunday’s season with a fun-filled day of interactive workshops and activities designed to teach visitors of all ages about our local wildlife this Sunday, May 30, 2010, from 9:30 AM to 3:30 PM. The U.N. declared 2010 the year of biodiversity, but what does that mean? Sustainable Sunday’s participants will find out, and gain a deeper understanding of the amazing biodiversity in Southern California. (more…)

The Community Hiking Club will be traversing Echo Mountain to Inspiration Point this Saturday, May 29. This will be a 10 mile roundtrip hike with a 2500’ gain. Those interested should plan on meeting at Towsley Canyon at 8:00 for an 8:15 departure to the trail head in Pasadena. There are great sites along the way including an old hotel and railroad ruins; then climb to the top of inspiration point where you will be able to see as far as Catalina, if it is clear. Bring your camera, lunch, and lots of water. Traditionally, hikers wil stop at a Pastrami restaurant called the “Hat” on the way back, so if you’d like to join in for this, bring money for your lunch. Lunch will be late, so bring snacks, lots of water, camera to record the phenomenal view, and maybe a hot drink to take the chill off of the top of the mountain. (more…)

With minimal rainfall and the hot, dry summer months upon us, Santa Clarita Valley residents are encouraged to carefully manage our limited water supply. In an effort to rethink water consumption and reduce water usage in the garden, the Castaic Lake Water Agency (CLWA) has teamed up with  the City of Santa Clarita to offer residents a new gardening tool: “SCV Colorful Landscapes for Water Conservation,” a booklet that is now available free of charge. (more…)